Coed Sailing

No. 3 Bulldogs Move Into Second at ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championships

Jun 03, 2009

June 2, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - The No. 3 Bulldog coed sailing
team moved up into second place at the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy
National Championships during competition on Tuesday. The Bulldogs,
who spent part of the day in the lead after closing a large gap
from third to second place, are only seven points out of the
regatta lead, which is currently held by No. 4 St. Mary's College
of Maryland. The team will wrap up competition on Wednesday with
four more races in A and B divisions.

The breeze again started out light in the morning before
building as the day went on. Again, it was important for the
Bulldogs to look around the course for the best wind while
balancing the current, which switched from an ebb to a flood tide
during the course of the day. By the last sets of the day, boats
would frequently come just feet from shore on the upwind legs to
get current relief, while tending to the right side of the course
on the downwind legs to take advantage of the strong current
pushing the boats towards the gate and finish line. The day started
out with some clouds and fog shrouding the top of the Golden Gate
Bridge, but sun came along with the afternoon's increased wind
velocity, creating terrific viewing at one of America's most famous
sailing locations, San Francisco By.

The Bulldogs are currently in a strong position to have the
team's best finish in years. The Bulldogs. Who currently sit in
second place with 137 points over the 14 races in each division,
have not finished better than third since 1981. St. Mary's has 130
points while No. 1 Georgetown sits in third with 184 points.

In A division, junior captain Thomas Barrows and
crews sophomore Blair Belling and
junior Marla
Menninger have turned in an impressive performance, leading A
division at the toughest regatta of the year. The trio has tallied
54 points over the 14 races, with only one finish outside the top
half. The team went on an impressive run today, never finishing
outside the top five and finishing either first or second in the
18-team fleet in four of the six races.

One of the most impressive features of the A division
performance was the manner in which the wins came. The trio
struggled with starting in a number of the races, ducking much of
the fleet soon after the start. The team, however, was able to use
incredible upwind and downwind speed to soon get back into the
races and tally top-tier finishes. A combination of good speed and
solid tactical decisions, such as correctly playing the current and
deciding how to manage the fleet, has allowed the Bulldogs to
recover in a number of races after tough starts or after taking
penalty turns.

The B division trio of freshman skipper Joseph Morris and
crews junior Michael Hession and
senior Grace
Becton were also stellar during Tuesday's competition. They
currently sit in third with 83 points. St. Mary's currently leads
with 61 points. They too have been consistent, only having one
finish outside the top half. In today's action, the trio turned in
four top four finishes, including a victory in the ninth race of
the regatta. The Bulldogs in B division also have had terrific
speed, especially on the downwind legs, when they have frequently
been able to make large gains through both speed and tactical
decisions. The team has improved on its starting ability, but
successfully came back from a number of second row starts.

The assistant coach for the Bulldogs, Bill Healy, was pleased
with the team's performance.

"The sailing was fantastic and both divisions performed really
well, Healy said. "The current was really difficult and staying in
phase with the adverse current at the end of the day was key."

Four races remain in the regatta, which is being sailed in FJs
and is being hosted by No. 14 Stanford and St. Francis Yacht Club
on San Francisco Bay. Competition will resume on Wednesday at 11
a.m.

Live coverage of the event through interviews is available here.
As well, it is possible to follow the coverage live on the event
blog, which is available here. Complete results and the
ability to send notes to the competing teams is available here.